Astros Minor League Recap: April 17, 2013

Wednesday night was a quiet one for Astros baseball. The Major League team played an afternoon game, Corpus Christi enjoyed a scheduled day off, and the Oklahoma City, Quad Cities games were postponed due to rain. The only team in action was the Lancaster Jethawks, with Mike Foltynewicz on the bump.

Folty followed his best start of the season with an 'I've had a few beers so that start looks pretty decent' performance. On a 60-pitch cap, he failed to make it through the designated five innings as Piggybacker Number One. He totalled 63 pitches in four innings, while allowing four hits and two earned runs. Although he didn't have his best stuff, the defense certainly didn't help, as Matt Duffy's first inning error contributed to Folty's most taxing inning.

The silver lining of Folty's evening was his ability to generate weak contact, as he induced more groundouts than airouts for the second consecutive game. He also made it through his second straight game with one or less walk, after issuing seven in his first six innings of the season. It must also be noted that Folty surrendered possibly the longest home run Jason Schartz (Lancaster play-by- play guy) has ever seen.

Despite leading 9-3 after four innings, the Mavs cut it to a one-run deficit in the ninth, on a single, followed by a rare Nolan Fontana error. The Jethawks had to rely on the Strikeout Jedi himself, Travis Ballew, to slam the door, in what ended up being a 9-8 nailbiter. Ballew struck out the side in the ninth, and has now recorded his last 10 outs via the K.

Oklahoma City

• Rained out

Corpus Christi

• Off day

Lancaster

• Nolan Fontana - 1-2, 3 BB, CS, E(2)
• Andrew Aplin - 1-4, BB
• Zach Johnson - 3-5, 2B, 4 RBI, K
• Preston Tucker - 1-5, K
• Brandon Meredith - 1-2, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 3B
• Matt Duffy - 1-4, 2B, K (Left game with an ankle injury)
• Mike Foltynewicz - 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, K, 7/3 GO/AO
• Blair Walters - 2 IP, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• Delino DeShields Jr. - DNP
• Tyler Heineman - DNP

Quad Cities